The stormy weather dies down a bit and the sky lightens with a red-green dawn as the ship gets closer to the island, though the tides and waves are still treacherous.

As the group approaches the island, Frost moves to the bow, keeping his eye out for a path through the reef. He sees a way that seems promising and calls out to Kasha and the others, guiding them in.

The crew struggle (more than usual) with the sails, the motion of the waves sending sailors falling to the deck with muffled heavy thumps. Fortunately, Shrakk manages to scramble to the top and adjust the sails despite the violent swaying of the mast, slowing the ship's approach to the dangerous reef.

Seros notices a pattern in the strange lightning, certain segments of reef that seem to draw it when the rock and coral is exposed. He points this out to Frost, so the shifter can factor into his navigation and then focuses on the beacons between ordering the crew around.

Kasha guides the ship, following Frost's calls from the bow. Unfortunately, a rogue wave hits the ship as the Nexal begins to enter the reef, slamming the ship into exposed rock and sending everyone crashing to the deck. When everyone recovers, the ship is still intact, though a quick head-count reveals that one of the crew was lost.

RAM TIGER skitters around the deck, full of nervous energy, his unnerving hyena-like laugh mixing with the calls of strange sea-birds darting through the waves.

After navigating through the worst of the reef, the beacons are clear enough that basic details about their surroundings can be picked out.

The red beacon seems to be set atop a small, squat stone pillar set a short way off-shore. In the shallows around it are the broken wrecks of half-a-dozen ships.

The yellow beacon seems to be set up on a cliff, partially looking down on what looks like a small cove or harbor, though it's hard to tell precisely exactly what is in the cove since it is still mostly sheltered from your view by a large jutting cliff-peninsula.

It looks like you will only have one chance at a landing between the storm waves and the tides. You're rapidly approaching the point where you'll have to either pick the red beacon, turn west and sail towards the short beacon "tower", shallows, and shipwrecks or turn east and sail towards the cliff-beacon, the jutting cliff, and take a chance on the unknown cove just barely spotted on the other side of the cliff.

Seros

The green lightning is highly unnatural and seems to be focused on this island. If you didn't know any better, you might think someone has been experimenting with elemental energies on this island. Also, something about the way the "beacons" are flickering makes you uneasy, but you can't put your finger on exactly what it is about them...

Skill Challenge

Success! Two of the crew were lost, but the Nexal made it through storm, darkness, lightning and reef (mostly) unscathed. Now all that needs be decided is which beacon to head towards. I have a suspicion about which one you guys will pick, but I'll leave it up to you guys to decide. Maybe you'll surprise me

"Whichever option we decide to head towards we need to exercise caution as the lightning is not natural. I would agree with the shifter on this problem." Seros comments, the deva staring back the way they came, having grown attached to the crew he's saddened by their loss